Yes, Man.

I was just at the Children’s Pastors’ Conference in San Diego, which is an amazing kidmin conference put on by the INCM. I was attending a breakout session by Craig Jutila, entitled “How To Lead When Life Gets Busy.” When I saw that this breakout was being offered, I just knew I had to check it out.

Craig said something very interesting during the breakout: “Whenever you say yes, you are also saying no.” Sounds counter-intuitive, yeah? It does, until you think about it this way:

Right now, I am saying yes to writing this blog…which means I am saying no to sleep.

Craig’s complete quote was “Whenever you say yes, you are also saying no…to someone or something else.”

As I sat in his breakout session, I really began to think about how much of a “Yes Man” I really have become. I’m a people-pleaser (check out this blog post from Ryan Frank, which addresses the dangers of people-pleasing in ministry). I get asked to do a lot at times…and I will most likely say yes. I’ll say yes because I’ve got the time, because I could make the time, because I want to help, because I don’t want to let folks down…the list really continues!

But I can’t help but think – by saying yes so often…what am I saying NO to?

Truth be told: the busyness in my life is the direct result of my constant saying yes. To a degree – even though the things I am saying yes to are good things – I am saying no to a lot of things – like spending time with God, spending time with family, building a relationship, or fulfilling what God’s will is for my life.

What’s the solution then? For me, it’s to be prayerful in my decisions, and to pursue balance.